Call for US to cut foreign aid
2013-01-07 20:42
Jerusalem - US Senator Rand Paul on Monday called for a
gradual reduction of American foreign aid, delivering the message in an
unlikely venue - since Israel is among the top recipients of US assistance.
Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, told reporters that the
US can't afford to keep borrowing money and then handing it out to others, even
to allies like Israel.
"It will harder to be a friend of Israel if we are
out of money. It will be harder to defend Israel if we destroy our country in
the process," he told the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, an
Israeli think tank.
"I think there will be significant repercussions to
running massive deficits... you destroy your currency by spending money you
don't have."
Paul, a long-time opponent of foreign aid, acknowledged
he was expressing a "minority opinion" and doubted Congress would end
foreign aid in his lifetime.
"It's unlikely anything changes, but I think it is
worth discussing," he said during his first trip to Israel.
Israel gets about $3bn billion a year in military aid from
the US.
Paul insisted Washington should first cut aid to
countries with strained ties to America, such as Pakistan and Egypt, and only
later wean Israel off aid.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously stated
he was interested in doing that.
Paul said the aid, used in large part by Israel and Egypt
to buy US weapons, was creating an arms race in the Middle East that could
ultimately harm Israel, not help it.
"I'm concerned that some of the weaponry that we are
currently giving to Egypt may one day be used against Israel," he said.
Most American military assistance to Israel must be spent
on US-made equipment, providing a boost to the military industry there.
Paul suggested Israel would actually benefit from less
aid, saying it would enhance its sovereignty by not having to approach the US
"on bended knee" when making its own decisions.
"I don't think you need to call me on the phone to
ask permission for what you want to do to stop missiles from raining down on
you from Gaza," he said.
Paul, the son of former presidential candidate Ron Paul,
is mentioned as a potential presidential contender in 2016.
A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Paul
is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and other Israeli
leaders before heading off for meetings in Jordan and the Palestinian
Authority.
- AP
